Hot-water bandage.



C. S. FERGUSON. HOT WATER BANDAGE. APPLlcAicN FILED nEc.1a,1916.

atented Sept. 4f, 1917.

'III

N r srs rn UA S. FERGUSON, F COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF @NE-HALF T0 I. LWRENCE nnoanwrrt or NEW Yoan, n. Y.

HOT-WATER BANDAGE.

Application med. December 13, 1916.4 Serial No. 136,601.

and useful Improvements in Hot-Water y Bandages, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention. relates to hot water bandages for external use by appliance directly to the body of the patient. lts prime purpose is to produce a bandage which may be made to supply the required heat to the aicted part for a considerable time in a manner similar in most respects to what is now known as hot water bottles.V lit will also be understood that, while ll have termed my invention a hot water bandage, this term is, used in the commonly accepted sense, although it is to be understood that the inverse is also true, that is, it may be used as an ice pack.

The main object of my invention resides in a structure wherein the Hat shape ymay be maintained after the bandage is inflated with the desired heating medium, the bandage being also'constructed of material which gives it the desired degree of iieXibility.

Still a further object of the invention re sides in the combination of a dat Hexible body of the type referred towith a casing member and means whereby this casing and flexible body may be readily applied to the body of the patient. y

Other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which; similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view showing my improved 'I type of bandage ready for application,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the A exible dat body member which constitutes one of the essential elements of my invention, and, i

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, there is shown a Hat eXible body l, composed of two sep arate side walls inclosed at its lower end to thereby forni a container, which container Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4l, llhll.

is normally held closed by means of a removable stopper structure shown at 2. ln order to maintain a flat appearance of the element shown in Fig. 2, after the same has been lled with water or any other desired heating or clloling medium, l have so arranged my structure that the two side walls are tacked together at repeated intervals, so that its indation will not be accompanied by a corresponding distortion. This tacking of the side walls is accomplished by means of a plurality of longitudinally extending tubes 3 which may be either integrally formed with the flexible body, or which are firmly secured thereto in any desired manner. As shown in the drawings, these tubes are open at their opposite ends so that the tubes, as well as the spaces between the tubes, may be lled withY water. After this element 1 has been lled to the desired extent. with water, the stopper 2 is placed in a position of closure and the entire element then incased withinv the tubular casing shown at 4f. Usually this casing is made of cloth and its ends closed by means of the glove fastener arrangement shown at 5.` @ne end carries a buckle structure shown at 6, while to the opposite end, there is rigidly secured va strap 7 which strap is of the desired length and is provided with a plurality of apertures 8 for coperation with the buckle 6, whereby the bandage may be applied and adjusted to the body as may be desired. Should the length of the strap after its application, be too great, the end is fastened beneath the band shown at 9 in the usual manner.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that l have provided a bandage which may be applied to any portion of the body of the patient, as may be desired. rEhe body element 1 is made of rubber or other suitable material and is of itself very flexible. By means of the tube structure 3, this body is so formed that it will always maintain a Hat appearance and, therefore, will much more readily conform to the contour of the body.

What l cla, is:

A hot water bandage comprising a hollow body, a removable closure for 'said body., and. a plurality of tubes entendmg lengtu mageos tudinally of the interior of said body and ln testimony whereof I ax my signature attached to its opposite Walls to hold them in presence of two Witnesses.

properly spaced when said body is filled., C. S. FERGUSON. said tubes being open at their opposite ends Witnesses: l and of a, length that their ends are also WALTER E. L. BOOK,

spaced from the ends of said body. A. L. Plums. 

